Soprano Purple African Daisy
Osteospermum 'Soprano Purple'
flowerAfrican daisy dazzles with luminous, almost iridescent petals - the Soprano Purple form in rich violet-purple around a glowing deep-blue central eye - on a compact 8 to 14 inch mound perfect for pots, edging, and sunny beds. The flowers track the sun and close at night and in dull weather, opening to a brilliant show on bright days. It is a tender perennial from southern Africa grown as an annual in most of the country, flowering most heavily in the cooler, brighter parts of the season and pausing in the worst summer heat before returning in fall.
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Sun
full sun
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Water
Every 4 days
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Bloom
~60 days
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Difficulty
easy
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Lifecycle
tender perennial
Perennial in warm zones; grown as an annual where winters freeze
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Spacing
10-12 in. apart
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Planting Depth
Set root ball level with the soil surface
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Soil pH
5.5-6.5
Growing Details
Soil Type
Average, well-draining
Hardiness Zones
Zones 3 – 11
When to Fertilize
Every few weeks during active bloom (especially in pots)
Fertilizer
Balanced bloom fertilizer
🌱 Growing Guide
Give Osteospermum full sun and moderately fertile, evenly moist but sharply drained soil; it does well in sandy or rocky ground and sulks in heavy, wet clay. It is a tender perennial hardy only in about zones 9 to 11, so most gardeners grow it as a spring-through-fall annual or in containers. It flowers best in cool, bright conditions and often stalls during hot, humid mid-summer, then rebounds as nights cool - so plant it early and do not panic at a summer lull. Keep it watered but never soggy, and deadhead spent blooms (newer types like the Soprano series need less of this) to keep flowers coming. A light feeding every few weeks supports continuous bloom in pots.
🌼 Have a different variety?Cultivars of the same species usually share the same basic care — they differ mainly in flower color, height, and bloom form, not in how you grow them. So this guide still applies even if your exact variety isn't the one shown.
Planting Calendar
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Start seeds indoors
Feb 18
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Transplant outdoors
Apr 22
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Projected first bloom
Jun 21
JJan
FFeb
MMar
AApr
MMay
JJun
JJul
AAug
SSep
OOct
NNov
DDec
✅ Plant alongside
Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests
- Petunia — A heat-tolerant container partner that keeps flowering through the summer lull when the African daisy pauses
- Sweet Alyssum — A fragrant low filler that spills over pot edges and draws aphid-eating hoverflies
- Salvia — Upright spikes that contrast the flat daisies and share the same full-sun, well-drained conditions
🛡️ Pest & disease prevention
Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide
Rinse off colonies on tender new growth and encourage ladybugs; treat hot spots with insecticidal soap
Check leaf undersides, especially in containers, and treat with insecticidal soap or neem oil
Both come from too much moisture - plant in sharply drained soil, water at the base, and never let pots stand in water
🌸 Blooms & cutting
African daisies are grown for the bedding and container show rather than for cutting (the flowers close in low light, so they make poor vase flowers). Deadhead spent blooms to keep the display fresh and continuous. If plants stretch or stall in mid-summer heat, a light shearing and steady water help them rebound for a strong fall flush.
🥗 Nutrition & benefits
A purely ornamental bedding and container flower whose sun-following blooms add vivid color; the open daisies offer nectar to bees on bright days.
For educational and informational purposes only — HomeSown is not medical, health, or other professional advice. Always positively identify any plant before handling or eating it; some plants, and some parts of otherwise-edible plants, are toxic. Consult a qualified professional before consuming or otherwise using any plant, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a health condition.